Old Kingdom

Egyptian history

THIS IS A DIRECTORY PAGE. Britannica does not currently have an article on this topic.

Woman wearing sheathlike gown held up by shoulder straps, typical of Egyptian dress of the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Painted wood statue from the tomb of Meketre, Dayr al-Baḥrī, Egypt, 11th dynasty (2081–1938 bc). In the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

dress

Over the years the style of these garments slowly evolved and became more complex; a greater number were worn either in combination with or on top of one another. During the
Old Kingdom (its capital at Memphis), which lasted until about 2130
bce, dress was simple. Men wore a short skirt tied at the waist or held there by a belt. As time passed, the skirt became pleated or gathered. Important...

floral decoration

There is evidence through painting and sculpture that during the
Old Kingdom (
c. 2686–
c. 2160
bce) the Egyptians placed flowers in vases. In the tomb of Perneb bas-relief carvings show lotus blossoms and buds alternately arranged in flared bowls that were set upon banquet tables or carried in processions. Paintings of functional vases with spouts designed to support the...

Maydūm pyramid complex

...in Banī Suwayf
muḥāfaẓah (governorate). It is the location of the earliest-known pyramid complex with all the parts of a normal
Old Kingdom (
c. 2575–
c. 2130
bc) funerary monument. These parts included the pyramid itself, a mortuary temple, and a sloping causeway leading to a valley temple built near the...

Memphis

Memphis reached preeminence by the 3rd dynasty. The 3rd-century-
bce historian Manetho calls the 3rd and 4th dynasties (
c. 2650–
c. 2465
bce) Memphite, and the huge royal pyramid tombs of this period, in the necropolises of Memphis, confirm this. Djoser, the second king of the 3rd dynasty, was the builder of the Step Pyramid of Ṣaqqārah, the earliest royal...

Near Eastern civilization

...the 1st dynasty of Egypt. At this time the Egyptians had already developed a system of writing. Between
c. 2686 and
c. 2160
bc their country was united under a powerful monarchy (the
Old Kingdom) served by a complex bureaucracy.

priesthood

From the number of titles assigned to priestly officials in the
Old Kingdom (
c. 2686–
c. 2160
bce), it appears that one priest must have served simultaneously a multiplicity of cults in the shrine to which he was attached and received a share of the offerings and emoluments. In wealthy great temples in the New Kingdom (
c. 1567–
c. 1085
bce) there was an...

role of Snefru

first king of ancient Egypt of the 4th dynasty (
c. 2575–
c. 2465
bce). He fostered the evolution of the highly centralized administration that marked the climax of the
Old Kingdom (
c. 2575–
c. 2130
bce).

sculpture

The standing male figure with left leg advanced and the seated figure were the most common types of Egyptian statuary. Traces of wooden figures found at Ṣaqqārah show that the first type was being made as early as the 1st dynasty. The earliest seated figures are two of King Khasekhem of the 2nd dynasty, which, although relatively small, already embody the essential monumentality...